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The Alzheimer Conundrum: Entanglements of Dementia and Aging

Online ISBN:
9781400848461
Print ISBN:
9780691149783
Publisher:
Princeton University Press
Book

The Alzheimer Conundrum: Entanglements of Dementia and Aging

Margaret Lock
Margaret Lock
McGill University
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Published:
27 October 2013
Online ISBN:
9781400848461
Print ISBN:
9780691149783
Publisher:
Princeton University Press

Abstract

Due to rapidly aging populations, the number of people worldwide experiencing dementia is increasing, and the projections are grim. Despite billions of dollars invested in medical research, no effective treatment has been discovered for Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. This book exposes the predicaments embedded in current efforts to slow down or halt Alzheimer's disease through early detection of pre-symptomatic biological changes in healthy individuals. Based on a meticulous account of the history of Alzheimer's disease and extensive in-depth interviews, the book highlights the limitations and the dissent associated with biomarker detection. It argues that basic research must continue, but should be complemented by a public health approach to prevention that is economically feasible, more humane, and much more effective globally than one exclusively focused on an increasingly harried search for a cure.

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